Shoe and method of making it



March 2, 1937. s. G. ROSS SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Filed April 23, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l M/EA/TU March 2, 1937. 5 oss 2,072,216

SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Filed April 25, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 2, 1937. s 055 2,072,216

SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Filed April 23, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 2, 1937 PATENT orrlcs SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT Simon G. Ross, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. 3., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 23, 1934, Serial No. 721,874

15 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shoes and methods of making them.

In the manufacture of women's shoes having inner and outer soles it is a well-known practice to secure awelt to the upper and the insole around the forepart only of a shoe and to attach the outsole to the welt at the forepart and directly to the upper and the insole by through-andthrough stitching in the shank portion of the shoe, thereby embodying in the forepart of the shoe the advantageous features of Goodyear welt construction while having in the shank portion relatively light close-fitting outsole margins such as those which are characteristic of McKay-sewed shoes.

In shoes of this type as ordinarily constructed heretofore the welt terminates, abruptly in the vicinity of the break between the forepart and shank portions of the shoe bottom, the ends of the welt being usually beveled and the beveled faces laid against the upper surface of the projecting margin of the outsole. It frequently happens that the joints between the beveled faces of the welt and the marginal portions of the outsole are opened up by the action of the edge trimming or edge setting tools, or as a result of the flexing of the shoe as it is being worn so that, sooner or later, the welt ends become loosened and present an. unsightly appearance.

It is one object of the present invention to avoid such an undesirable condition in shoes of the above-mentioned type and to insure the formation of a permanently tight and neat joint between the welt and the adjacent portions of 5 the outsole and the upper in the vicinity of the break between the forepart and the shank portions of the shoe bottom.

With this object in view the present invention, in one aspect, provides an improved method of making shoes of the general type referred to in accordance with which the welt, instead of being cut oil at or near the break between the forepart and shank portions of the shoe bottom, is extended rearwardly of that locality and inwardly with respect to the edge of the outsole and the converging end portions of the welt are firmly secured or anchored to the bottom of the shoe substantially midway between the opposite lateral edges of the latter so that the welt is held close to the upper at or near the break line and the outer edge of the welt is caused to disappear between the margin of the outsole and the upper and to form a joint'which has no tendency to open up or work loose. As shown, the inward- 55 ly-directed welt extensions are beveled and overlapped between the insole and forward extremity of the shank stiflfener and the overlapped portions of the welt are secured to each other and to the insole by means of adhesive. Also, as an additional means for insuring against opening 5 up of the joints between the welt ends and the adjacent portions of the outsole and the upper, the through-and-through stitching which secures the outsole to the upper and insole in the shank portion of the shoe is continued forwardly through 10 the rear extremities of the welt.

It is to be recognized that invention resides also in an improved shoe which, as herein illustrated, comprises an insole, an upper, an outsole, and a welt secured by inseam stitching to the 1 upper and the insole, and by outseam stitching to the outsole at the forepart only of the shoe, the welt being extended rearwardly and inwardly of the break between the forepart and shank portions of the shoe bottom and the welt extensions 20 being anchored to the shank portion of the shoe bottom.

Considered in another aspect, invention is further to be recognized as residing in an insole especially prepared to facilitate the disposal of 25 the welt ends in the manner just referred to by having formed thereon a lip extending parallel to the edge of the insole around the forepart forwardly of the ball line and extending inwardly at an oblique angle to the adjacent portions of the sole edge rearwardly of the ball line, the lip terminating without extending any substantial distance into the shank portion of the insole.

The invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings in which 35 Fig. 1 is a plan view of an insole illustrating its appearance after it has been channeled and the outer channel lip has been raised preparatory to the lasting of the upper and the stitching of the welt and the upper to the'insole; M

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the shoe as it appears after the performance of the welt stitching or "inseaming" operation, this view illustrating also the step of beveling the ends of the welt;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary bottom plan view, on as an enlarged scale, of the shoeshown in Fig. 2 illustrating the appearance of the welt ends after they have been beveled;

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged cross-sectional views taken along the lines IV-IV and V-V of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the shoe as it appears when it is ready for the attachment'of the outsole, this view illustrating particularly the manner in which the overlapped welt ends are held in place by the forward portion of the shank stiffener;

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the shoe as it appears after the outsole has been attached;

Fig. 8 is a detailed sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a view partially in cross section and partially in perspective of the finished shoe, the section being taken on a plane extending through the overlapped rear extremities of the welt; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of the finished shoe indicating particularly the appearance of the welt in the vicinity of the break between the forepart and shank portions of the outsole margin.

In making my improved shoe, as herein exemplified, an insole I2 is channeled to provide, in its forepart, inner and outer channels it and I6 and inner and outer channel lips I8 and 20, respectively (Fig. 1). As shown, the channels and the channel lips extend rearwardly of the ball line and terminate at or near the forward extremity of the shank portion of the insole, the portions of the channels and the channel lips which are located forwardly of the ball line being disposed in parallel relation to the sole edge but the portions which are located rearwardly of the ball line extending in directions inclined rearwardly and inwardly with respect to the adjacent portions of the sole edge, as indicated at 22. The outer channel lip I8 is raised, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby exposing the feather 23 and preparing the insole for the lasting of the upper by providing a lasting shoulder at the base of the outer lip. An upper 24 is then assembled with the insole l2 upon a last 26 and the upper is worked over the last and its margin secured in overlasted relation to the insole in any wellknown manner, for example, by means of staples 28, in the shank and forepart of the shoe and by means of tacks 30 in the heel seat portion. Preferably, and as illustrated herein, the upper is secured in overlasted relation to the insole in both the shank and forepart of the shoe in accordance with the method of upper fastening disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,815,296, granted July 21, 1931 upon application of George Goddu, whereby staples are driven through the upper and are anchored in the body ,of the insole without penetrating the inner face of the insole, the staple legs extending inwardly away from the edge of the insole. The upper 24, together with a welt 32, is then secured to the insole in the forepart of the shoe by means of inseam stitches 34 (Fig. 4), the stitches 34 extending through the between-substance at the base of the channel lips, as is customary in the manufacture of welt shoes. Thereafter, the inner channel lip I6 is laid so as to close the inner channel and the usual inseam trimming operation is performed, this operation removing the surplus material from the inseam margins of the welt, the upper and the outer channel lip. The shoe now appears as shown in Fig. 2. It will be observed that the ends of the welt 32 are allowed to extend rearwardly a substantial distance beyond the rear extremities of the inseam 34 and that, as a result of the inward slope of the rear portions of the channel lips, the end portions of the welt slope inwardly a corresponding amount and are disposed in overlapping relation, one to the other in the forward shank portion of the shoe bottom. As shown, the overlapped portions of the welt are located between the overlasted margins of the upper and approximately midway between the lateral edges of the shoe bottom.

' The overlapped portions of the welt 32 are preferably secured firmly to each other and to the insole l2 by means of adhesive, for example, rubber cement, and, either before or after being thus secured together, these portions of the welt are skived, each on along bevel sloping rearwardly from the vicinity of the break between the forepart and shank portions of the shoe bottom, thereby reducing the edge thickness of the overlapped portions of the welt and removing those parts which extend rearwardly beyond the overlap. Conveniently, this beveling operation may be performed by means of a knife 38 (Fig. 2) which may be readily manipulated to bevel both welt ends. After this beveling operation has been completed, the welt ends appear more or less as shown in Fig. 3, wherein the long beveled surfaces are indicated at 40.

The shoe is now ready to have a shank stiffener applied thereto. As shown in Fig. 6, a shank stiifener 42 is positioned with its forward portion overlapping the beveled rear extremities of the welt 32 and it is secured to the shoe bottom in that position by any suitable means, for example, a tack 44. Thus the shank stiffener, by clamping the rear ends of the welt against the shoe bottom reinforces the cement joints between the overlapped welt ends, as well as the Joint between these ends and the insole, and tends to prevent these joints from working loose as the shoe is worn. The use of rubber cement or the like for joining the ends of the welt and for securing them to the insole beneath the shank stiffener insures against any such squeaking of the shoe parts as might otherwise result from relative movement between the welt ends and the insole during flexing 01' the shoe in walking.

An outsole, such as the outsole 46, provided upon its tread face with the usual stitch-receiving channel 48 is now laid upon the shoe bottom in the usual way and the forepart of the outsole is secured by means of outsole stitches 50 to the welt 32. Thereafter, the last is pulled and the shank portion of the outsole is secured to the shoe by means of through-and-through stitching 52, the latter extending through the outsole, the overlasted upper margins and the insole. This stitching 52 may be done by the use of a McKay sewing machine or by a lockstitch machine such, for example, as the machine disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,885,927, granted November 1, 1932, in the name of B. T. Leveque. As clearly shown at 54 in Figs. 7 and 8, the throughand-through stitching 52 is continued forwardly far enough to extend also through the rear end portions of the welt 32 which are directed inwardly in the forward shank portion of the shoe bottom. Thus, the stitching 50 constitutes a still further means for positively securing the welt ends in place.

A shoe made as above described will embody in its construction all the advantageous features of shoes of the type in which the outsole is secured by outseam stitching to a welt in the forepart of the shoe and directly by through-and-through stitching to the upper and the insole in the shank portion of the shoe. In a shoe produced by the practice of my improved method, as herein described, moreover, the construction of the shoe in the vicinity of the break between the forepart and shank portions of the shoe bottom, and the apheld in place, by means of the adhesive applied thereto, by the clamping action of the shank stiffener and by the forward portion of the lines of thr'pugh-and-through stitching in the shank. The welt ends exte'nd rearwardly and inwardly from the ball portion of the shoe bottom in continuation of the curves of the edge of the outsole in that locality'and thus the outer edges of the welt ends extend obliquely across the projecting upper surface of the outsole and gradually disappear beneath the upper, the thickness of the outer lateral edges of the welt ends diminishing (on account of the skiving of these end portions) from points where the curve of the welt edge ceases to follow the curve of the sole edge, as best shown at 56 in Fig. 10. Thus, an especially neat.

portions of the welt and the diminishing edge thickness of these portions. are factors which further contribute to the finished appearance of the shoe by providing for a graceful merging of the relatively light and close fitting shank portions of the outsole edge with the relatively heavy projecting outsole margins in the forepart of the shoe. The bottom of the illustrated shoe is, moreover, substantially more flexible than in shoes of this type as ordinarily constructed due to the fact that there is no sewing rib extension across the line of the break between the forepart and shank portions of the shoe bottom. The presence of the overlapped welt ends beneath the forward extremities of the shank stifiener constitutes a reinforcement for the insole and effectively insures aaginst any possibility of the shank stiffener working upwardly through the insole as the shoe is worn.

While the outsole is herein shown as being attached to the shoe by means of stitches it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the use of such means for attaching the outsole inasmuch as the outsole may be attached in other ways, for example by means of cement, to the overlasted upper margins in the shank portion and to the welt in the forepart of the shoe.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in attaching a welt to the forepart portions only of the insole and the upper of a shoe, extending the welt rearwardly and inwardly in unattached relation to the insole beyond the break between the forepart and shank portions of the shoe bottom, and anchoring the rearwardly extending welt end portions to the shoe bottom substantially midway between the opposite lateral edges of the latter.

2. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in securing a welt to the forepart portions only of the insole and upper of a shoe, extending the welt rearwardly in unsecured condition into the shank portion of the shoe bottom, and securing the rear portions of the welt together in overlapping relation between the overlasted margins of the upper.

3. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in attaching a welt to the forepart portions only of the insole and the upper of a shoe, the welt extending rearwardly and inwardly from its rearmost points of attachment to the upper, beveling and cementing together the rear end portions of the welt, securing the forepart of an outsole'to the welt, and securing the shank portion of the outsole to the shoe bottom by means of through-and-through stitching extending through the outsole, the upper and the insole.

4. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in sewing a welt to. the forepart portions only of the insole and the upper of a shoe, extending the rear portions of the welt rearwardly and inwardly beyond the overlasted margins of the upper, positioning a shank stiffener with its forward portion overlying-said rear portions of the welt, and securingsaid stiffener to the shoe bottom, thereby clamping the rear portions of the welt against the shoe bottom.

5. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in sewing a welt to the forepart portions only of the insole and the upper of a shoe, extending the rear portions of the welt rearwardly of the forepart of the shoe and overlapping them on the forward shank portion of the shoe bottom, beveling the rear end portions of the welt, and securing a shank stiffener in position to engage the rear portions of the welt and assist in holding them in place.

6. That' improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in sewing a welt to the forepart portions only of the insoleand the upper of a shoe, converging the rear portions of the welt rearwardly and overlapping them upon the forward shank portion of the shoe bottom, securing the overlapping welt ends to each other and to the shoe bottom by means of adhesive, applying a shank stifiener in a position to assist in holding the overlapped welt ends in place, laying an outsole, securing the outsole to the welt in the forepart of the shoe and securing the outsole to the upper and the insole in the shank portion of the shoe by means of through-and-through stitching which extends also through the rear portions of the welt.

'7. A shoe comprising an insole, an upper having its margins lasted over the insole, an outsole, and a welt secured to the upper, the insole, and the outsole only about the forepart of the shoe, the welt terminating just rearwardly of the break between the forepart and shank portions of the shoe bottom and the welt ends extending inwardly and being secured together by means of adhesive.

8. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole, an outsole, and a welt secured to the upper, the insole and the outsole only about the forepart of the shoe, the welt terminating -just rearwardly of the break between the forepart and shank portions of the shoe bottom and the welt ends extending inwardly and being secured together.

9. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole, an outsole, and a welt secured by inseam stitching to the upper and the insole and by outseam stitching to the outsole at the forepart only of the shoe, the welt being extended rearwardly and inwardly over the break line between the foretween the forepart and shank portions of the shoe bottom, and an outsole secured to the welt at the forepart of the shoe and in contact with the overlasted portion of the upper in the shank portion of the shoe.

' 11. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole, a shank stiffener, a welt secured to the upper at the forepart of the shoe and having its rear portions extending beneath and held in place by the forward portion of the shank stiffener, and an outsole secured to the welt at the forepart of the 'shoe and to the upper and insole in the shank part.

12. A,shoe comprising an insole, an upper having its margin lasted over the insole, a welt extending around the forepart of the shoe and having its rear portions skived and secured together in overlapping relation by means of adhesive in the forward shank portion of the shoe, a shank stiffener having its forward portion overlying the skived ends of the welt and assisting in holding the latter in place, and an outsole secured in contact with the welt at the forepart and in contact with the overlasted margins of the upper in the shank portion of the shoe.

13. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole, a welt secured to the upper at the forepart or the shoe and having its rear portions overlapped in the forward shank portion of the shoe, and an outsole secured to the welt at the forepart of the shoe and secured by through-and-through stitches to the upper and insole in the shank portion of the shoe, said stitches extending through and securing in place the rear portions of the welt.

14. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in channeling the forepart of an insole thereby forming a feather and a shoulder, assembling the insole with an upper on a last, lasting the upper against the shoulder, fastening the overlasted upper margin in place along the shank and about the forepart by means of fastenings which pass through the upper and are anchored in the body of the insole without penetrating the inner face of the in sole, securing a welt together with the overlasted upper margins to the insole around the forepart of the shoe and extending the welt rearwardly and inwardly into the central portion of the shank of the insole, and securing an outsole in contact with the overlasted margins of the upper and the shank portion of the shoe and in contact with the welt about the forepart of the shoe.

15. An insole having a lip extending parallel to the edge of the insole around the forepart forward of the ball line, the end portions of the lip extending obliquely inward relatively to the adjacent portions of the sole edge rearwardly of the ball line but terminating without extending any substantial distance into the shank portion of the insole.

SIMON G. ROSS. 

